Coasters are often used under the legs of a piece of furniture to act as a buffer between the legs and the floor on which the piece of furniture rests. Typically, coasters take the form of glass or rubber discs having flat bottoms that rest on the floor. By positioning the coasters between the furniture legs and the floor, the weight of the furniture leg is dispersed over a larger area such that the furniture leg does not scratch or mar the floor when the piece of furniture is moved or leave a depression in the floor when the piece of furniture remains in one place for an extended period of time.
In addition, furniture glides or sliders have been developed that are also positioned between the legs of a piece of furniture and the carpeting on which the piece of furniture rests. By way of example, Bushey, U.S. Pat. No. 5,220,705 discloses a furniture glide that facilitates the movement of a piece of furniture on carpeted and bare floors. The furniture glide includes a convo-convex disc having an arcuate convex lower surface, a concave upper surface defining a central cavity, and resilient pad fixed to the disc upper surface within the central cavity below the edge thereof. Adhesive is provided for securing the resilient pad to the bottom of the piece of furniture or to the leg of the piece of furniture.
While functional for its intended purpose, the furniture glide disclosed in the Bushey '705 patent has certain limitations. More specifically, repeated movement of a piece of furniture along a floor may cause the adhesive to fail such that the resilient pad becomes detached from the bottom of the piece of furniture. As a result, the furniture glide may become separated from the piece of furniture such that the bottom of piece of furniture may engage and damage the flooring. Therefore, it is highly desirable to provide a furniture glide and/or coaster that may be simply secured to a bottom of a piece of furniture to prevent damage to the flooring on which the piece of furniture rests.
Alternatively, Bushey, U.S. Pat. No. 7,234,199 discloses a furniture glide for mounting on the terminal end of a furniture leg having an outer surface. The furniture glide includes a base having a generally arcuate lower surface for engaging a supporting surface. A sleeve extends from the base and defines a cavity for receiving the furniture leg therein. The sleeve includes a leg engagement element for engaging the furniture leg received within the cavity and for allowing the furniture leg to be supported within the cavity at an angle thereto. However, the addition of the sleeve to the furniture glide substantially increases the overall cost of such glide.
Therefore, it is a primary object and feature of the present invention to provide a furniture glide that may be securely retained on a leg of a piece of furniture.
It is a further object and feature of the present invention to provide a furniture glide that is inexpensive to manufacture and simple to utilize.
It is a still further object and feature of the present invention to provide a furniture glide that may be utilized on the leg of a piece of furniture to prevent damage to the flooring on which the piece of furniture sits.
It is a still further object and feature of the present invention to provide a furniture glide that maintains engagement with a supporting surface when positioned at an angle to the terminal end of a furniture leg on which the furniture glide is mounted.
In accordance with the present invention, a furniture glide is provided that is mountable on the terminal end of a furniture leg having an outer surface. The furniture glide includes a base having an upper surface, a lower surface for engaging a supporting surface and an outer periphery. A sidewall extends from the outer periphery of the base and has an inner surface defining a cavity for receiving the furniture leg and an outer surface. Matted material is molded into the lower surface of the base and the outer surface of the sidewall.
The inner surface of the sidewall may intersect the upper surface of the base at an acute angle. In addition, the inner and outer surfaces may be generally parallel or the inner and outer surfaces may diverge. An adhesive is provided on the upper surface of the base. The adhesive is engageable with the terminal end of the furniture leg. It is contemplated for the sidewall to be fabricated from an elastic material.
In accordance with a further aspect of the present invention, a furniture glide is provided that is mountable on the terminal end of a furniture leg having an outer surface. The furniture glide includes a cup having an outer surface and an inner surface defining a cavity for receiving the furniture leg. Matted material is molded into the outer surface of the cup.
The cup includes a base and a sidewall. The base has an upper surface, a lower surface for engaging a supporting surface and an outer periphery. The sidewall extends from the outer periphery of the base and has an inner surface and an outer surface. The inner surface of the sidewall may intersect the upper surface of the base at an acute angle. The inner and outer surfaces may be generally parallel such that the sidewall has a generally uniform thickness or the inner and outer surfaces of the sidewall may diverge. An adhesive may be provided on the upper surface of the base. The adhesive is engageable with the terminal end of the furniture leg. The sidewall is fabricated from an elastic material.
In accordance with a still further aspect of the present invention, a furniture glide is provided that is mountable on the terminal end of a furniture leg having an outer surface. The furniture glide includes a base having an upper surface, a lower surface for engaging a supporting surface and an outer periphery. A sidewall extends from the outer periphery of the base and has an inner surface defining a cavity for receiving the furniture leg and an outer surface. An adhesive is provided on the upper surface of the base. The adhesive is engageable with the terminal end of the furniture leg. Matted material is molded into the outer surface of the sidewall.
The inner surface of the sidewall may intersect the upper surface of the base at an acute angle. The sidewall may have a generally uniform thickness or the inner and outer surfaces of the sidewall may diverge. It is contemplated for the sidewall to be fabricated from an elastic material and for the matted material to be molded into the lower surface of the base.